Schedule and Resources for the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report

Beginning on October 1, 2014, communities can submit their data for the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) through the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX). In preparation, those assigned as Primary Contacts for Continuums of Care (CoCs) should log in at www.hudhdx.info and review and edit the list of people who have access to their community’s data via the HDX (see the HDX Admin\CoC Access tabs).CoCs that have not participated in the past but wish to submit data this year can register for the AHAR as soon as possible by clicking on the Register as an AHAR site link on the HDX homepage. The homepage also contains AHAR resources for communities interested in the AHAR.The schedule for the 2014 AHAR is:

November 14, 2014: Deadline for draft data on both All Persons and Veterans

December 12, 2014: Deadline for final data on both All Persons and Veterans

The 2014 AHAR reporting requirements are based on the HMIS Data Standards from March 2010.As the AHAR kick-off date approaches, updated community resources including webinars, FAQs, and detailed guidance will be announced through the HUD Exchange mailing list and linked to from the HDX homepage.If you have any questions, please contact the AHAR Team via the Ask A Question (AAQ) portal on the HUD Exchange.

Due to a low response, our National Call-In Week has been extended through this Wednesday, September 17, in order to generate more calls!Thank you to all who have made calls, and to those who have yet to do so, now is your chance.
Congress is currently in session and appropriators are doing preliminary work to shape the final fiscal year (FY) 2015 federal funding legislation.

We need to use this time to call congressional offices about the importance of providing a $301 million increase for McKinney programs in FY 2015.

During this call in period, please call your representatives' and senators' offices and tell them to contact the Chair or Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and tell them that providing $2.406 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program in FY 2015 is a high priority.

These funds would help us end chronic homelessness by the end of 2016 and make significant reductions among other populations. Even in another difficult budget year, Congress should be working to ensure that we help those who are most in need.

Call your Members of Congress by Wednesday, September 17, to make sure that homeless assistance is on their radars as a priority!

Here's what you can do:

Call your Senators and Representative(s)! Reach out to both your representatives AND senators. You can find your senators' contact information here and your representatives' contact informationhere. When you call the offices, ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues for the Member.

Tell the staff person to urge their boss to contact the Chair or Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and tell them that providing $2.406 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program in FY 2015 is a high priority. More in-depth talking points can be found here!

Let us know if you have any questions and/or which office(s) you contacted! It is important that we keep track of how many calls everyone has made, so please let us know which offices you called, and what the responses were!

Spread the word with this flier and this sample action alert that you can share with your field to customize before sending it around to their networks!

More Information

The President's FY 2015 Budget Proposal included good news for HUD, including a 14 percent increase to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program to $2.406 billion! In contrast to the President's Budget Proposal, this legislation passed by the full House flat funded HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, and made cuts to various other HUD programs. This funding level would result in cuts to Continuums of Care, and if enacted, communities will once again be faced with the difficult tiering and prioritization decisions they made for the FY 2013 NOFA.

This legislation passed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee included $2.145 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, which is $40 million above the enacted FY 2014 level but $255 million below the level proposed by the Administration. Although this amount would likely be enough to cover renewals from FY 2014, it would not provide funding to expand ESG programs or any additional funding for new projects.

Therefore, it is critically important that Congress provides the Administration's requested $2.406 billion funding level for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants!

Practicing wellness is essential to behavioral health. During SAMHSA's 4th annual National Wellness Week, use Facebook and Twitter to share how you enhance your physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, financial, occupational, and environmental wellness. Use the hashtag #ShareWellness when you post a photo, video, or message of your favorite health and wellness activities.

Stay involved in the #ShareWellness social media conversation to learn more about wellness and gather ideas for new wellness activities that could improve your overall health and well-being. For more information about SAMHSA's National Wellness Week 2014, stay connected with SAMHSA on Twitter (@samhsagov) and Facebook.

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